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Fighting prescription drug abuse

DR. C. RICHARD SCHOTT

Updated:
02/18/2013 07:53:56 AM EST

Nearly 15,000 people die every year in the U.S. from overdoses involving prescription painkillers. In 2010, one in 20 Americans (age 12 or older) reported using prescription painkillers for nonmedical reasons during the previous 12 months. More specific to Pennsylvania, the Keystone State ranks as one of the worst states in the country for overdose deaths.

Need I say more? It's clear that prescription drug misuse is a problem.

Prescription drugs used for non-medical purposes find their way into the wrong hands through different channels. Most often the pill-seeking person will get his or her fix either by stealing or being offered medications from a friend or relative. But on occasion, it's done by scamming a doctor. These people are often called doctor shoppers.

It's not always easy for physicians to spot pill-scamming doctor shoppers. These individuals can be tricky. But an effort must be made to stop them, and physicians are willing to play a role in stopping such abuse and misuse.

But Pennsylvania's doctors are at a disadvantage when dealing with doctor shoppers. All of our neighboring states have put into place a controlled substance database for physician use. This gives physicians in those states access to data that might suggest the person in their exam room could be shopping for pills.

Pennsylvania could help its physicians and patients with legitimate pain by arming our state doctors with a controlled substance database that physicians could access when they suspect someone is seeking to scam them for pills that are not clinically necessary.

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Overwhelmingly, the majority of patients are not trying to pill shop. They're honest people with real pain. And for some patients, such as those with cancer, it shouldn't be necessary to check a controlled substance database every time physicians prescribe. Legislation to give Pennsylvania physicians access to a controlled substance database needs to be carefully crafted so that good intentions don't turn into an administrative burden or delay care to those with legitimate medical needs.

Already, the Pennsylvania Medical Society is working to educate physicians on how to spot scammers shopping for pills. An educational booklet and continuing medical education program called "Ever been scammed?" has been positively received. There are certain red flags that are obvious, and physicians have indicated these tools are helpful as a starting point.

Yet, more needs to be done.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society encourages our state leaders to work on this issue and give physicians a useful tool to deal with pill-scamming doctor shoppers. Prescription drug misuse is a Pennsylvania problem, and our state's physicians are willing to play a role dealing with medication misuse from the inside out.

Dr. C Richard Schott is president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and a practicing cardiologist from suburban Philadelphia.